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Home Alone

September 25, 2010 By Marta Darby 9 Comments

For years now, Eric and I have been home.

He works here at home. I have been homeschooling for years.

Our house is always full of noisy, happy, busy people. Whether they are our own kids or their friends, we've always had a full house.

Dad & kids 

But now, Adam is gone. And Amy, who has spent the summer here with us, is leaving, too.

Lucy and Jonathan are in school. Their school day goes from 8 am to 5 pm, so they get home just in time for dinner. 

All that to say this: It's quiet around here. Too quiet.

Of course, when the kids get home from school and we're at the dinner table, they are chatty and excited and telling us about their fun days in great detail. Jonathan goes right to his room and starts playing his guitar and Lucy turns up her iTunes and it's noisy and fun and it makes me happy.

But during the day….quiet.

Don't get me wrong. I like quiet. But I don't exactly know what to do with myself. Or how to act. Because, my goodness, it's so quiet around here!

I've gotten into a groove now. I write, I clean out drawers and closets (long, long! overdue), I bake and cook and go to the gym and still have hours left to create and paint and craft and tackle organizing and scrapbooking and telling the stories that go with the bizillions of photographs I've taken of my family and kids over these many years. (<–Big, time-intensive project. But hey….I've got time now. =D)

I do lunch. A lot.

I am getting used to the quiet. (In fact, I kind of like the quiet, but that's not important right now.)

I find I'm liking having days that are my own.

But I miss the noise. The laughter. The silliness.

I miss this…

My Kids from Marta Darby on Vimeo.

I suppose I could always jump up and down on the beds, order large cheese pizzas "just for me," set booby-traps for the stupid bad guys, and watch movies all day while eating junk food.  (<– Yes, that's a nod to the silly Home Alone movies by John Hughes.)

Or I could just embrace the fact that they are all doing so well and give myself a break.

And maybe do lunch? 😉

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Filed Under: My Kids Tagged With: Home Alone, Music, My Kids

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The gold digger says

    September 25, 2010 at 2:32 pm

    Come do lunch with me!

    Reply
  2. Maria Eugenia says

    September 26, 2010 at 3:13 pm

    Please please please come do lunch in New York! Did I say please?

    Reply
  3. Marta M. Darby says

    September 26, 2010 at 3:31 pm

    Next time (or first time?) I’m out in your neck of the woods, we will definitely do lunch.Definitely.

    Reply
  4. Marta M. Darby says

    September 26, 2010 at 3:32 pm

    Hi Maria Eugenia,Lunch is my very favorite thing to DO in New York. The next time I’m there I would love to do lunch. (It’s because you said please. =D)

    Reply
  5. Susan says

    September 27, 2010 at 12:37 am

    Please. Lunch. England. Please?:-)

    Reply
  6. Michele CAridad says

    September 28, 2010 at 10:38 am

    well…since Amy(Kikita) is possibly coming down…you can come too! and explore a new lunch adventure with Muah(since our last one went down in history books as one of the best lunches ever!) in a new spot…with a new story and lots of pictures!XO

    Reply
  7. Marta M. Darby says

    September 30, 2010 at 8:24 pm

    Susan,Lunch in Oxford? ANYTIME. Muah!

    Reply
  8. Marta M. Darby says

    September 30, 2010 at 8:36 pm

    Michele,I’ll be in MIA next week!

    Reply
  9. Maria Hidalgo Dolan says

    October 9, 2010 at 5:17 pm

    Querida MartaWe homeschool too!
    I’m Cuban too!
    But I live on the opposite coast.
    I just discovered My Cuban Rose restaurant north of me in Kenilworth.
    Cuban restaurants are popping up all over NJ!
    My treat come join me for lunch por favor!
    Dios te Bendiga
    Maria del Carmen

    Reply

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Marta Verdes Darby is a Cuban-American food blogger in South Orange County.

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